The Sixth Cycle

Well, I feel as if we're chugging right along. I have the update here between Brian and me and I was very excited to get this package, as I am with all packages. I'm always at school when I get the mail, so I'm opening them in front of others to triumphant and impressive effect. I should mention before I start the unveiling, that Brian and Momo Luna always send nice little notes and cards and brochures (!) These two are the fanciest, I always feel as if I'm completely lame and disheveled in comparison. Especially after I know I just sent something with no extra bling, and it's way too late to remedy my lack of it. So I'll have to say now, I really appreciate and am thoroughly impressed by the bling. I'll just have to strive to be more motivated...and get more print material. Speaking of, I'll have to make new postcards for the ATCTE project too.

Now on to the show. If you'll remember, I presented Brian with a bunch of recyclables, all stuck together. And he presented me with a very nice primed canvas with a geometric pattern. Well, here's what happened next! Brian painted over the corrugated material very neatly and applied a similar element, tiny outlined circles, which corresponds to our other piece...continuity! With the piece I worked on this round, I also used acrylics, and created more of a loose wash rather than a thick coat. Some of the colors I used blended with what he used originally, creating new colors and shades. Right now, these two are the antithesis of each other, while still retaining a semblance of unity; mine being a chaotic well of a whirlpool, his being very orderly, crisp and business-like.

This round was fun, wanna see the photos?...

Cycle 6, Round 2:

Brian Sylvester to Shana R. Goetsch

Somerville, MA to Baltimore, MD

Shana R. Goetsch to Brian Sylvester

Baltimore, MD to Somerville, MA

ETA: I also just noticed that we chose the same color palette this round. It is really, very strange that this keeps happening unknowingly between many of us, especially since it's not always the same color palette. Very interesting.

So This Is My Plan...

....make more mandalas.

No but seriously, I have decided to devote my energy this year, for the second year of my visual thesis to the ATCTE project. Not only have I felt that I have neglected it, and everyone for a year, but I really need a break from the domestic violence heaviness that I was so focused on last year. So here's what's going to happen....A COMMUNITY BONANZA!

I've been thinking of some new ideas for the project, in terms of promotion and exhibition and highlighting some of the existing artists (you guys!) as well as adding some new artists to the fold. My drive is to work with community, and it occurred to me that this is a community. You're all a part of my online community, as well as being a community of artists, and friends. I was thinking of highlighting some of you in artist interviews, but I would like your input! This is a chance for me to, in essence, work for you this year. How do you want to be seen? Where? What types of venues? What state (or country)? How can I help you, as an artist in this project? I am willing to travel, and curate this thing all over the place. Let me know! I would at least like all of the existing pieces to be included in my final thesis show, which will be in May. I will be sending you all information about that soon enough, but I am very excited for the near (and far) future!

And without further adieu, I finished my last round with the piece that Elbee started... I actually incorporated the paper that D. Garzelloni used to wrap my last package from her. So thanks D., it's now in the background of this one!

Conception to birth, plus the finished piece, Cycle 4, Round 4

Elbee to Shana R. Goetsch
Tallahassee, FL to Milwaukee, WI

  Shana R. Goetsch to Elbee

Milwaukee, WI to Tallahassee, FL

 Elbee to Shana R. Goetsch
Tallahassee, FL to Baltimore, MD

Shana R. Goetsch and Elbee

Mandala completed in Baltimore MD

woohoo!

Constructing the Universe

Finally, FINALLY I have finished the piece I worked on with Wes Way (incidentally, one of the first two mandalas in this project) Y'all. That was a tough one for me, personally. All of this outside construction that I've had to do on these things....sheesh. I wouldn't say that building is my strong suit, it takes me a lot longer than normal.

Okay, conception to birth, right here, plus the end shots are Cycle 1 Round 4:

Wes Way to Shana R. Goetsch 

Harrisonburg, VA to Milwaukee, WI

 Shana R. Goetsch to Wes Way
Milwaukee, WI to Harrisonburg, VA

Wes Way to Shana R. Goetsch

Harrisonburg, VA to Milwaukee, WI

 Shana R. Goetsch and Wes Way
Mandala completed in Baltimore, MD

Some Community Mandalas

As you may or may not know, this past year I worked as an arts facilitator, with women and children at a local domestic violence shelter. Some of the most awesome things they created were mandalas with yarn. It was such a simple thing, but creating the circles with yarn really challenged the young kids with their dexterity, and the adults seemed to enjoy making them too. In these finished pieces, I paired an adult mandala with a youth mandala. I think they turned out brilliantly....it was a joy to work with them on such a therapeutic process. *proud* These community made mandalas will hopefully be hung at the shelter some time soon.

So see? I hadn't abandoned the mandalas at all!

ACK

Okay, I have woefully left this project behind during my last year in grad school, I'll admit it. But I received a degree in that one year so I'll have to say that it was worth it.

However, we will be starting back up with a gusto very soon! I have a few mandalas to complete on my end, which have been sitting around just waiting for me for months now. AND I have a few ideas up my sleeve about what this next year of grad school will entail, art-wise. I am leaning towards a kinder, gentler "Part II" of my visual thesis....something much rounder.

See you soon with more art completed, for reals.

Alternate Cycles

Something tragic has happened....one of the mandalas from Cycle 3 did not make it, due to unforeseen issues. RIP buddy. Okay, well anyway, the fix to this little snafu arrived in the mail to me this week! So Danielle and I are in the process of a do-over for one of our two mandalas. She started a new one that has some collage elements and some gesso on an old board game. I'm told it's called "Ludo"...well, here it is and we're starting again!

Cycle 3.5, Round 1:

D. Garzelloni to Shana R. Goetsch
Chicago, IL to Baltimore, MD

I'm actually pretty excited about this new one, because it's quite a bit smaller than the other we are creating together.

Mentioned!

Artist Heather Gordy gave the Art That Circles The Earth project a mention in this interview about her  by Rosanne Peña. COOL. Hopefully I can get all of these finished pieces into a show sometime soon and return the favor. Thanks Heather, and CONGRATS on a great interview!

Gettin There!

I got mail from Holland! The exchange has finally been made and received!

Momo Luna has used objects as well as papers to create this round. The "world heads" are very cool, and she cut the entire piece out from its background, which will make for some interesting reconstructions by me again. In the piece that was sent to Momo Luna, I used fabric and string to make the snakes and alternately, the hints of their movement...enjoy!

Cycle 5, Round 3

Moma Luna to Shana R. Goetsch

Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland to Baltimore, MD, USA

Shana R. Goetsch to Moma Luna
  Baltimore, MD, USA to Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland

                                 

 And now it's final round time! I love me a good final round.

It's Finished!

This one from Wes...

I am going to force myself to finish my end of the fourth round next week...and then I will give you the conception to death of this first cycle of mandalas. Stay tuned...

Collaborative Mandala-making at House Of Ruth Maryland

Just wanted to touch base and share these photos with all of you. The House Of Ruth Maryland, a domestic violence shelter where I am the Artist-in-Residence and Arts Facilitator, recently started some mandalas. The Teen Group, their facilitators and I broke into groups to create two separate collective mandalas. The directive here was to "create a sacred space together". I think it started really well! I'll update you when we are finished...

There should be a mandala coming to me soon from Momo Luna. I sent my next round off to her just yesterday! I have also heard rumors that others were being sent sometime soon too. YAY!

Chuckles and Fairy Rings

Here is a brief video from someone who found a brand new fairy ring in his back yard...



The comments under this particular video on youtube are priceless. A funny one from autumnenergy:
"DUDE !!! I cannot believe you picked that mushroom and then just threw away ! You are so lucky the Fae didn't kick your butt for that !!!!
DO NOT walk inside a fairy ring
DO NOT pick mushrooms from a fairy ring
DO NOT use iron around a fairy ring
I am glad you are safe. Just remember to pay them respect. They left something very beautiful in your yard. Next time that happens, leave a bit of tobacco next to the ring (NOT inside) and little pieces of cloth. Blessings to you LUCKY GUY !"

(I like the not using iron part)

Sand Mandalas - Life

Another time lapse video, this one has narration though...

So Far...

Hello Everyone! The mandala collection has been updated and added onto my flickr page. To see them all so far, go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/artinshanaty/sets/72157623028372536/

OMG

This is so cool! (except for the very end, which is super cheesy...yeah) but still, 5 minutes of goodness...



Art Clokey's Mandala

In the Middle

Hey there, first mandala round completed by Brian Sylvester and me! I received this in the mail from Brian this past week. We both decided on a 12" x 12" format. Brian has started with a gessoed canvas, and used acrylic paints in bright colors. Much like D. Garzelloni, he has used a light grid/mathematical pattern to start his piece...


Cycle 6, Round 1:

Brian Sylvester to Shana R. Goetsch

Somerville, MA to Baltimore, MD

And in usual form, I have dug through my garbage and found stuff laying around on my floor. I used the corrugated cardboard packaging from a set of bowls, and a piece of tissue paper that I had left laying about for quite awhile because I thought it was interesting. The square of paper just happened to be 12" x 12". This was just another case of helper elves 'placing' things on my floor for me to find. Thanks lil guys...

Shana R. Goetsch to Brian Sylvester

Baltimore, MD to Somerville, MA

YAY! *dives in*

New Artist in the Fold

We have a new artist who will be participating in the ATCTE project! Brian Sylvester, sometimes known as Inkpunk Artworks  will be joining in the mandala making. Brain says he mainly works on canvas now, so we'll see what we get out of this collaboration! He is from the state of Massachusetts, it'll be a shorter jog for the mandalas to go between there and Maryland. Here are some examples of Brian's work (which I feel has quite the ethereal quality to it, despite the fact that there is such a controlled style in the rendering. Someone on his blog remarked that it was "Sacred Geometry". I tend to agree)...

And for some reason, I tried to comment on the last piece on his blog several times, but blogger seems to have not accepted any of them. I have no idea what happened there. So I'll say it here...the last piece is brilliant/gorgeous Brian!

Circling Broken-ly

The USPS has managed to do it again! I picked up my package from Elbee and it was all smashed and rattley."Do not bend" was clearly written on the front of the package. My conclusion is that the USPS are jerks.

Now that that diatribe is over... Elbee and I have exchanged slightly broken mandalas! I have made an approximation of what I think this was supposed to arrive looking like, but did not (see above USPS ineptitude). It was completely in pieces (including the piece that I put on the last round) so I tried to follow all of the glue marks, give or take.

Cycle 4, Round 3

Elbee to Shana R. Goetsch
Tallahassee, FL to Baltimore, MD

I was concentrating on getting this piece the right size, and Elbee goes and cuts parts away from the other. omg *head thunk*

Shana R. Goetsch to Elbee
Baltimore, MD to Tallahassee, FL

So This is Complicated

I found this, and I think it's pretty interesting. I enjoyed watching another type of process in mandala-making unfold...

It Has Begun (Again)

The ATCTE project is back on! We were on a break, in a way. It was just a major adjustment for me to move across the country and start grad school within 3 months. That being said, mandalas have been exchanged!
Momo Luna and I had each received our respective packages last week, and so here we go with the show and tell! I am happy to have this starting again...both of us began with paper and paint and pens. I also attached a bit of purple colored plastic mesh to the center of the one I sent. The many uses for those mesh veggie bags can get kind of exciting for me, no lie.

Cycle 5, Round 2:

Moma Luna to Shana R. Goetsch

Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland to Baltimore, MD, USA

Shana R. Goetsch to Moma Luna

Baltimore, MD, USA to Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland

YAY for mandalas!

Sent and Sent!

Momo Luna and I have (finally-my fault) exchanged mandalas. They are in the mail and traveling across the ocean right the heck now! It will most likely take a week or so to get to their respective locations, so please check back soon!!!

The Mail Hath Foresaken Me

Okay guys, I am in Baltimore....but my new mailman refused to deliver my mail for about a week...I'm still not sure about its effectiveness. Perhaps I should think about a Post Office box. Anyway, Wes Way has told me that he had an idea to finish, but he will be sending me a test letter first, to see if the mailman is actually delivering my mail. I have already called to complain once, and I'll do it again, and again, and again, if I have to (don't push me, mailman, I'm making mail ART, which is important). So, needless to say, this little bunch of crap is courtesy of the US Post Office.

But I have just brought out my paints (um...found them) yesterday. And now I'm ready to get this ball rolling! I have two that I need to work on. Finishing Wes' and starting on Momo Luna's. Here we go!

UPDATE

I am still in the process of moving, and some of my fellow artists are not 'feeling' the mandalas presently. HOWEVER, Wes Way has told me that he will be bringing the finished mandala with him when I move to Baltimore (he has generously agreed to help me move). So, by the first of the June, we should have an update, and more will soon follow because I will be settled in one location!!!

To Be Continued

So, where are the mandalas, you ask? I am currently in the process of moving across-country to Baltimore, and so things are all over the place, and being packed away for the trip. An update is coming, from someone, somewhere....soon. I promise. Momo Luna has finally (!) received her package from me, after three or so weeks of red tape, and is probably waiting for me to complete the next round (I'm getting there, don't worry). I figure I will need to work on some art really soon. In about a month, I will be in one place/state, and it will be great.

Until then, I pose a question...do you think a record player could achieve spin art?

Buddha's Realm

I just found this article about Tibetan Buddhist Monks and their sand mandala-making practices. This explains what it means, how, and why it is done. At the bottom of this article is a time-lapse video shot from above the mandala. Please check out the process, courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution's, The Torch...http://www.e-torch.org/from-the-secretary/april-2010/

Beauty and Chaos

So I have a blogger friend, someone whom I follow...Laura, on Beauty and Chaos. She's been taking these photos every day, usually of nature, but sometimes she has people. In general she's pretty outdoorsy, and I strongly suspect she's in college studying something science-y and biological. The other day, she took a photo of her slime mold, inside its circular, perti dish home, and I found it to be really cool. (It reminded me of some of my own 365.series watercolors.) And in addition to that, we get a good science-y lesson from her

She named her slime mold Leonard. Click the link, he's so worth it.

p.s. I also updated the blog, with better photos of Moma Luna's first round (the previous post). See the post, and better photos here.

Three Thoughts

Okay, I have the piece and it is photographed and edited! Moma Luna is from Holland, and has started this first mandala round with me. The piece she worked with features an image from one of her previous pieces, Thoughts which is duplicated three times. Three is a magic number, as she has pointed out, and it is a number that is used in Christianity, as well. This is also a variation on one of the classic mandalas, the Triad form, which was mentioned before in this blog. I got a few close-ups of each piece so that you could see the detail a bit more. Moma Luna has duplicated the figure, but has changed them each in minor ways, such as the patterns, and colors. She has also mentioned (in a nice hand-written letter to me) that she used three kinds of paper on this.

Cycle 5, Round 1:

Moma Luna to Shana R. Goetsch

Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland to Milwaukee, WI, USA

On my mandala piece, I went a more simple route (as usual). I was originally wanting to use colored feathers for this, but decided upon magazine papers instead. This is mainly because I had so many laying around in disuse, and I'm a recycler. This shape is the same one used in a mandala that I worked on with Heather Gordy. So basically, I cut out many tiny shapes and then layered and pasted them. The vague patterns/lines on the side were made with rust, they are 'rust prints', technically. And interestingly, Moma Luna and I unknowingly chose the same colored palette to start...

Shana R. Goetsch to Moma Luna

Milwaukee, WI, USA to Arnhem, Gelderland, Holland

Update!

I have received a package from Moma Luna!
The only problem is that I have to pick it up from the post office....on Monday. What a downer, but at least it arrived. I am still worried that she has not received the package from me, on account of the Post Office worker not knowing what to do..."Holland? Is that the Netherlands?" *rolls eyes* "Yes Post Office lady, but despite that fact, her address is still 'Holland', so that's what I will write down." ugh. I spent at least a half an hour in that place, filling out form(s), so I really hope it gets there, or has already gotten there by now.

I also hope that what I have glued down (twice) has stayed glued down on the piece I sent to her. The rolling gave me problems, so I had to reglue. She may also have to reglue, but I truly hope it's not that bad. If it is, I will reglue it again when I get it back, with some kind of clear spackle. I joke, but it will eventually stick, because I'll make it stick.

So, provided that the light is decent, you will get the first round with Moma Luna and me on Monday afternoon...look for it!

Circles in the Swirled

Another documentary about crop circles:

The Geometry of Circles

I remember this one from Sesame Street, when I was little...(music composed by Philip Glass)

Simplicity

I searched for "circle" on youtube. This came up on the first page, so I'm posting it. Who doesn't love The Lion King, huh?



I cheesily, just cried. More collaborative mandala pieces are coming soon, but until then, check out this link. An artists who uses nature as a medium. (sometimes in the shape of a circle)

Mandala Completed!

I have just received images of the second mandala to be completed in this project! If you'll remember, this mandala made an extra trip to and fro...and so when I got it back, I added the hanging device real quick. Artist Heather Gordy has sent along an explanation of what she did for this final round:

"It's painted with acrylics and water soluble crayons. Most of it is painted directly on the linen except for the added beetles. I first sketched the beetle using pencil. Then I scanned the picture and made the beetle into two different sizes and printed it out. I used the water soluble crayons, matte medium and iridescent paint to paint the four beetles. They were then applied on top of the purplely color circles. The entire painted area is finished with a semi gloss acrylic varnish."

Now let's take a look back at this mandala's humble beginnings...


Cycle 2, Round 1:

Shana R. Goetsch to Heather Gordy
Milwaukee, WI to Houston, TX

Cycle 2, Round 2:

Heather Gordy to Shana R. Goetsch
Houston, TX to Milwaukee, WI

Cycle 2, Round 3:

Shana R. Goetsch to Heather Gordy
Milwaukee, WI to Houston, TX

Cycle 2, Round 4:

Heather Gordy and Shana R. Goetsch
Mandala completed in Houston, TX

Completed in Texas...yeehaw!